(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)Jon Lester could tell something wasn’t right. “There would be times where I would run out in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning and feel like I hit a brick wall. “Just thinking that maybe I needed to do a little extra in the weight room. “The big thing is kind of your brain telling you: You can do something or you want to do something. “It’s like, ‘OK, if I miss one (start), they’ll be able to pick me up,’” Lester said.

WASHINGTON The defending World Series champion Nationals canceled their workout Monday because of COVID-19 testing delays that general manager Mike Rizzo worried could endanger the baseball season. All players and staff were tested Friday, and Rizzo said the team still hasn't received those results. We will not sacrifice the health and safety of our players, staff and their families. Two Nationals players who took part in in-take testing last week tested positive. Martinez said some of the 60 players tested were still awaiting results.

Washington Nationals' Adam Eaton (2), left, speaks with a staff member as the Washington Nationals hold their first training camp work out at Nationals Stadium, Friday, July 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON Dave Martinez's mantra of going 1-0 every day followed the Washington Nationals to their first World Series title. When they resumed workouts Friday at summer training camp in the midst of a global pandemic, the manager's mantra remained. Only, it has a different meaning for the defending champions tiptoeing the health and safety protocols that made baseball feel anything but natural. Were so used to it being a long season and it actually becoming a marathon, Martinez said.